To Love or Die
by Usako0214
Summary: When Darien’s nightmares take on a terrifying new twist, he quickly realizes that it may not be just Serena’s life that’s in danger, but her heart.
1. Chapter 1

"Serena..."

Her name sounded on his lips like a faint breeze as he watched the one he loved run from him. He'd made her cry for the second time that day.

_"Why can't you understand that it's over!? We're finished!" _

Even in his ears the words had sounded harsh and cruel, but what could he do? He wouldn't run the risk of endangering her life because of him. No...he would protect her at all costs, even at the sacrifice of his own heart.

Darien closed his eyes, willing the pain in his heart to at least subside a little. It had only been a week since their break up, but already it felt like it had been an eternity ago that he had last seen her smile, seen her laugh. He had debated telling her about the dreams several times, but knew in his heart that it would never work. Her love for him was just like his love for her...She wouldn't care if she lived or died as long as she could be with him.

He walked alone through the nearby park, silently hoping that Serena had made it home okay. It was getting late, and sky was already orange with the setting sun…but Darien wasn't ready to go home yet. He knew facing his cold, lifeless apartment would only add to his misery…

…And that the nightmares would come again tonight. This he dreaded the most; it was no longer a question of if the nightmares would come, but when. And no matter how many times he relived the dream, he was never prepared for it. He always felt the familiar jolt of horror and despair as Serena was ripped from him, night after night. Every night his heart seemed to die all over again.

He slowly trudged home, knowing full well that he was going to be worse off if he didn't at least try to get some sleep. He unlocked the door to his apartment to find it as it always had been, cold and unwelcoming. At least, that's how it always seemed to him now. Things had been different when Serena had been in his life. She had the most uplifting and beautiful smile of anyone he'd ever known. God, he was going to miss her. Scratch that. He _was_ missing her.

He silently wondered if she would ever be able to forgive him, if she would ever again smile at him with all the radiance that he remembered. He closed his eyes, trying to choke back the emotions that came with the thought. He didn't deserve forgiveness, even if she offered it. As it was, he'd never be able to forgive himself for what he had done to her.

Trying to clear such thoughts from his head, Darien climbed into bed. But it seemed that, once again, sleep would elude him. Each time he would try to close his eyes, her own would swim into his view, those pain filled eyes that it seemed would forever haunt him. With a sigh he rolled over, hoping to rid himself of the unpleasant memory…

It would be 1 o'clock in the morning before he got any sleep, but it would prove to be anything but restful.

He knew the instant the nightmare started what was going to happen. And sure enough, he found himself donned in the familiar white tux with his beautiful princess at his side.

'Please, God,' he silently begged, 'please let it be different this time. Dear God, let her live.'

But his prayer went unanswered. Without warning the church disappeared, and the ground started to rumble violently before bursting apart in a haze of dust and rock. He tried to hold on tightly to Serena's hand, but even his vice-like grip couldn't keep her from being torn from him.

"SERENA!" He screamed, but it was too late. She was gone.

He fell to his knees, his left fist slamming down hard onto the cold ground beneath him. Once again he'd been unable to save her. He'd failed her.

He breathed in deeply, knowing he'd hear the disembodied next that would forbid him to see Serena…but it never came. Instead something completely different happened.

"DARIEN!" Serena cried. He spun around. She was alive, but she wasn't alone.

Terror gripped him as he realized that the man behind her held a knife up to her throat. His cold eyes bore into Darien's accusingly as the man pushed the blade harder against Serena's neck. Three crimson droplets fell onto the knife's edge. Without warning the man's face changed. His eyes turned scarlet as if he were a dangerous animal caught in a violent frenzy. His body shook as he struggled to control himself. Then slowly, reverently almost, he brought the knife's blade to his lips and licked.

Darien shuddered in disgust. It was like watching some sick pornographic film. The gesture was just so private, so…_sexual_.

Only after the man was sure that he had gotten every last drop off the blade did he again look at Darien. A faint smile spread over the man's face as he once again placed the knife against Serena's throat.

Panic threatened to overtake Darien as he realized a split second before it happened what was to come.

His eyes darted towards hers, and for the briefest of moments, his eyes met with her tear filled ones. A strange calm seemed to overtake her.

She had already accepted her fate.

It was all over in a matter of seconds. With one quick motion of his hand, Serena's lifeless body slumped against the man like a grotesque rag doll, the blood pouring freely from the open wound on her neck…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Darien bolted upright in bed, the sweat cascading down his body. He trembled violently as he bent over, gripping his hair with both hands.

"Shit…" he cursed. "It was a dream, just a dream," he repeated to himself, trying desperately to stop the pounding of his heart.

Throwing off the covers, he started to pace back and forth across the room. At this point, sleep was most definitely out of the question, but what could he do? His mind mulled over the possibilities as he paced. He could go to Serena, tell her the truth, warn her about what Darien thought was almost certain to come. But as almost as soon as he had thought it, the idea was gone from his mind. If there was any truth to the dream, then the last thing on earth he wanted to do was go to Serena. She was in danger enough as it was without him adding to it.

But what other options were there? If only he knew who the man was, maybe then he could save her in time…

That was it. Without another moment's hesitation, Darien threw on a shirt and pants, grabbed his car keys, and headed out the door of the darkened apartment.

There was only one person who would be able to unlock the secrets of his dream…

When Darien's nightmares take on a terrifying new twist, he quickly realizes that it may not be just Serena's life that's in danger, but her heart as well.


	2. Chapter 2

Darien's car sped out from the apartments complex's garage with a sharp squeal, his tires protesting against his panicked driving. It had already been raining before, but now the water came in great torrents, the rainfall beating mercilessly down on his windshield. Darien stomped harder on the gas pedal, urging the car to go faster as he tried to shake the image of those red, menacing eyes from his mind.

Though it seemed like an eternity to Darien, it wasn't long before he reached Cherry Hill Temple. It was quiet, almost ominously so as he parked and got out of his car. Off in the distance he could see the lights coming from one of the rooms in the temple. He checked his watch. _3:00 a.m. _

"_Why are there still people up right now?_" Darien thought to himself.

A feeling of dread overcame him as he ran up the temple steps and threw open the door.

Immediately he knew something was terribly wrong. Four of the five senshi were gathered around the temple fire, most still in their school uniforms. In front of the fire was Raye, her eyes staring out ahead of the fire, looking but not really seeing it. Only Raye did not meet his eyes when he entered. The other three looked sharply up at him, the fear and apprehension apparent on each one of their faces. Something was most definitely wrong.

"Serena…She…" he started.

Raye closed her eyes briefly before finally looking up to meet his gaze.

"There's been no trace of her," she said despairingly.

"What do you mean _no trace of her_? What are you talking about?" he demanded.

Confusion passed over Raye's face. "She's missing, Darien… Isn't that why you're here?"

His heart seemed to stop in his chest, his mouth suddenly dry._ Missing? _A feeling of sickness came over him. The dream. The dream had been right, maybe even a premonition. Serena was in terrible danger.

He closed his eyes, taking a moment to compose himself before speaking slowly. "When was she last seen?"

"Around ten o'clock," Luna said, having just come around the corner. "She asked to go for a short walk outside by herself."

"ALONE?" Darien roared. "We have enemies running around loose all over Tokyo and you leave her _alone_?"

"She insisted." Luna retorted. "She promised to stay within sight of the house while I watched from the window," Luna continued, "She just kept pacing back and forth. I thought maybe she just had a lot on her mind and needed to blow off some stream. I looked away for only a second or two, but when I looked up she was gone!"

She lowered her head, the feelings of sadness and guilt causing tears to course down her dark fur. She had forgotten her first and foremost duty as Serena's guardian—To keep the princess safe.

"But, Darien, if you didn't come here because Serena was missing," Raye started, her violet orbs passing over Luna's sobbing form to meet Darien's deep, ocean blue eyes, "then what are you doing here?"

"I had a dream, Raye. The most realistic dream I've ever had," Darien explained with a shudder, the fierce, red eyes still hauntingly vivid in his mind. "I dreamt that Serena was…killed…by a man I'd never seen before."

"What did he look like?" Raye asked, her eyes sparking with hope.

Darien closed his eyes, trying to bring the memory up from the depths of the dream world, but all he could remember were the man's vivid eyes.

"His eyes…that's all I really remember seeing. He had red eyes."

At this Luna perked up, her body at full attention. Red eyes? God, it couldn't be.

"Are you sure? Is there anything else about him that you can remember?" She asked, the impatience in her voice evident.

"You know who it is don't you, Luna? Who is this man?" Raye asked, anxiously stepping towards Luna.

Luna hung head, her face tinged with guilt.

"Maybe…I at least have my suspicions," Luna said, sighing softly as she did. "It was someone from your past, Darien."

"My past? What do you mean my pas—"

"I don't mean your past in this life," Luna said, cutting across him. "I mean from the time of the moon kingdom, when you were his majesty Prince Endymion."

"But that makes no sense, I would still remember seeing this man," Darien insisted.

Luna looked up, her eyes staring back into Darien's.

"No, you wouldn't," Luna replied, "Because Queen Serenity made it so that you wouldn't."

"What do you mean?" Darien asked.

"She used the Silver Crystal to erase this man from your memory," Luna explained. "You were never supposed to remember his existence. She thought the memory would be too…painful for you and the princess, Darien."

"But who is this man?" Darien asked, still confused. Was he that dangerous?

Luna closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. "I will explain everything in a minute, but please understand that to do that, I must go far back, before you had even met Serenity."

Darien stepped forward, taking Luna by the shoulders, a shudder working its way to his very soul, as if somehow he already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask.

"Who is he, Luna?" he demanded.

She lifted her head, her purple eyes boring into his ocean blue ones.

After a time, she responded to his pleading question.

"He is your brother, Darien."


	3. Chapter 3

Earth: 1011 A.D.

The Eartharian king gazed out into the palace rose gardens through the window, his weary eyes tired and bloodshot from another fevered, sleepless night. He knew now that it was only a matter of time till he drew his last breath. It was strange, he thought, how only when he was faced with imminent death did he take the time to reflect back on his life. In his youth, he'd been proud, courageous and pioneering, but above all he'd been a fool.

He remembered the time that he had first heard his father, the former king of the earth, speak of the people of the moon. He remembered being mesmerized by the motivational power of his father's voice, how he radiated authority when he spoke of the Lunarian's heresy and sinfulness. Only on his deathbed did he finally realize the fallacy of the former king's propaganda. In all reality, the charges were nothing more than an attempt to hide the true reason for the ongoing war with the Moon Kingdom.

It started almost sixty years ago when his father, eager to make a name for himself, chose to wage a campaign to conquer the moon and its people. In the end it was nothing more than a land grab, an effort to expand the earth's territories past that of its own planet. And much to his everlasting regret, he had supported it, even continued the campaign long after his father's death. He, like many of the Eartharians, had been sucked in by the rhetoric, believing so strongly that it almost made it real.

It was only after hundreds of thousands of both Eartharians and Lunarians had lost their lives that he began to realize the grave mistake he had made. Hatred emanated from both sides as things spun wildly out of control. Peace, it seemed, was an impossibility, but something the king still desperately longed for.

"Your majesty?"

He was broken out of his reverie by one of his closest generals, Malachite. He could tell by the downtrodden look on the man's face that he bore unpleasant news.

"How many?" he asked with a sigh.

Malachite looked up, obviously surprised that the king had already guessed what the news related to. Closing his eyes, he said, "We've lost roughly 24,000 this month, slightly up from the previous month…Sir, if I may…it is my belief that we will ultimately lose this war. The Lunarians are more organized and united than us. Moral is now at an all time low as well. Many of our men are starting to desert."

The king closed his eyes, his head beginning to throb. They needed peace and they needed it now. If only there was a way…

"The princess," he said with sudden inspiration. "Malachite, doesn't the Lunarian queen have a daughter?"

"Yes, your majesty," Malachite replied, unsure of where this was going.

"How old is she?"

Malachite put his hand to his chin in thought. He remembered that she had been born only a few years after the king's eldest son, Endymion, was born. "She must be about fourteen or fifteen by now.

"Perfect!" the king exclaimed before being overcome by a brutal bout of coughing. His shoulders shook as the coughs racked his frail body and blood spewed forth from his mouth.

As the coughs subsided, the king took out a handkerchief to wipe the remaining blood off of his mouth, swallowing a few times before he attempted to speak again.

"My doctors tell me I will die from this," the king said, feeling the need to explain to Malachite the gravity of the situation. "I have made grave mistakes in the past and will pay for it dearly in the next life, but the last thing I want is to leave my son a broken down, war ridden kingdom. I will not have him pay for my mistakes. I will achieve peace at all costs."

"My idea is to marry one of my sons to the daughter of the Lunarian queen. The alliance would ensure peace between our kingdoms. I know the Lunarians are just as tired of this war as we are," the king explained.

"But will the people be open to having a Lunarian for their queen?" Malachite asked.

"No," the king sighed, "but that's why it wouldn't be Endymion to marry her. I'll marry her to Diamond instead. After all, Diamond is not set to inherit the Eartharian throne."

"There will be opposition, especially from Lord Morganite," Malachite reasoned. "He has grown in power since the beginning of the war. He has many followers that, should he need it, would form an army to rival your own."

"And rumor has it that he has his sights set on your crown. He has a daughter that aspires to be our future queen. Beryl I believe is her name," Malachite crooned.

"I'm well aware of her," the king replied. "I had hoped to marry Endymion off to someone more worthy, but Lord Morganite poses a serious threat to that. We must tread carefully. With a little luck the senate will be open to my proposition and grant my request."

"Endymion?"

"Hmm."

"Endymion!"

"What?" Endymion asked, finally looking up from his book. Diamond gave his brother a languid smile as he put his hands behind his head and laid back onto the soft grass. It was a beautiful, sunny day on earth, and Diamond chose to spend it outdoors, basking in the sunlight as his brother read a book beneath a nearby oak tree.

"So what was the meeting with father about this morning? You were there for an awfully long time," Diamond droned.

"There is to be a senate meeting later today," Endymion said, closing his book. "They are going to discuss the possibility of a peace treaty with the moon."

"Really?" Diamond asked, sitting up abruptly, "a peace treaty? How is that possible with Lord Morganite on the senate? This war has made him a very wealthy and powerful man. I doubt he would let it end without a fight."

"It will be difficult. There's no doubt about it, but there's a growing number of the population that are disillusioned with the war. They're ready for it to end," Endymion reasoned.

"So what's included in this peace treaty?" Diamond asked.

At this Endymion looked up, smiling mischievously. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he crooned.

Diamond furrowed his brows, obviously not in on the joke.

"You'll find out at the meeting. Don't be late like you were last time," Endymion said, picking up his book and leaving his brother to ponder his words.

The soft rumble of voices carried through the senate hall as everyone waited for the meeting to begin. Endymion looked around, noting those who were and were not in attendance. Nearly everyone had shown for this meeting, but the king himself. His father was still bedridden since earlier in the day, and he was doubtful that the king would be well enough to attend, in which case it would be up to him to propose their idea to the senate.

His eyes carried over to rest on Lord Morganite. The man had to now be in his fifties at least, but to look at him you would never know it. The aristocrat still bore all the signs of his station. He was well kept, wore the most expensive attire his money and influence could buy, and held himself with the confidence and pompousness befitting a senator. He also didn't have an ounce of patience.

"Where is the king? It's time to begin," Lord Morganite drawled, eying the empty throne that sat between the two princes.

"I apologize, Lord Morganite," Endymion began, "but my father is in poor health and is unable to attend this afternoon."

"Are you prepared to present in your father's stead then?" Morganite asked.

"Yes," Endymion responded, rising from his seat to address the senate.

"Since a time before my father's reign, the earth has been involved in a disastrous campaign against the Lunarian people. It has proven costly, both in money and in lives lost. In the last ten years we have lost over 200,000 brave soldiers in an attempt to claim lunar lands as our own."

"Senators, the time has come to accept our failures and move on. Stop this campaign and instead bring both the Eartharians and Lunarians to everlasting peace."

"My father has proposed a pathway to peace, a marriage to the Lunarian Princess Serenity to one of our own Eartharian princes."

At this proclamation the senators erupted into chaos, many of them standing, shouting their dissent.

"Quiet! Quiet!" Lord Morganite roared, waiting until the shouting subsided before speaking again. "Prince Endymion, you must realize that we will not accept a Lunarian as our queen."

"Yes, of course," Endymion conceded, "but our proposition is to the marriage of the Princess Serenity to Prince Diamond, who is not set to inherit the throne. She would never be a queen, but instead remain a princess. The Lunarians are devoted to their royal family. They would never attack us knowing that possible harm could come to one of their own."

Before Endymion was even finished, the senate erupted into chaos. Their hatred for the Lunarians was deep rooted from years of war and propaganda. Endymion sighed; this wasn't about objections to having a Lunarian as queen. This was about having a Lunarian at all connected to the Eartharians.

"Senators!" Endymion yelled over the commotion. "You have let your prejudices blind you!" He could feel his anger bubbling to the surface as he paced the senate floor, his long cape rustling behind him.

"How many of you have lost someone dear to them in this war?" Endymion inquired, passion emanating from his voice. "How many cousins, nephews, uncles, brothers, fathers, and sons have we lost due to our hatred of the Lunarians? There isn't a single family within these walls that hasn't suffered the loss of a loved one."

"Please hear me out gentlemen, I am not here to force your hand, to radically change a long-held belief set overnight. All I ask is that you consider our offer, knowing that it has come from the king himself. There is to be no vote tonight. We shall all be given an opportunity to meet the princess first. Then, and only then will an offer be made to the Moon Kingdom, assuming of course that the offer is acceptable to the majority of the Senate."

Endymion's eyes went back to Lord Morganite. He chuckled softly to himself. He could see the tiny seeds of change written on the eyes of the other senators. They had quieted after his speech, their dissent still prominent, but not nearly as consuming as it had been before. Convincing them would not prove as difficult as what Endymion had first estimated, but that was not the case with Lord Morganite. The man emanated hatred, his eyes cold and dark as he gazed back at Endymion. There was both a threat and a challenge in his eyes. His influence could prove poisonous to the king's efforts at peace.


End file.
